gave up my tricks (i'll be your dog) by meteorablues (E)

• word count : 32.8k
• tags : #canon compliant #slow burn #mutual pining #character study #pov alternating
• rating : ★★★★★
• notes : it's really interesting to read about how people may interpret luffy encountering and coming to terms with romantic affection, especially when it's a popular hc that he's aroace (not that there's anything wrong with it). he's undoubtedly a very simple character, but at the same time, he has a lot of layers to peel back if you want to understand him more beyond what he shows in canon. a large part of that is his thoughts and feelings about romance. i really like how the author approached this topic; it felt really natural and well-done

ocean theology by swordsmans (M) ❤

• word count : 40.5k
• tags : #post-timeskip #canon compliant #reincarnation #religious imagery & symbolism #(emotional) hurt/comfort
• rating : ★★★★★
• notes : goddamnit. this masterpiece. it's so fucking good. it's 40k+ words of sun god x king of hell realness

devotion by basicallyacat (series) ❤

• unable are the loved to die (part 1 of 2)
  • word count : 14.5k (out of 53.4k)
  • tags : #pre-time skip #canon compliant #pining #light angst #(emotional) hurt/comfort #introspection
  • rating : ★★★★★
  • notes : if you are an avid zolu fan and have read your fair share of zolu fics, then you're more than familiar with how a lot of their fics tend to go (i.e., typically zoro pov, lots of him overthinking his feelings, #hurt/comfort, bonus points if there's a section that includes him lamenting about his weakness after thriller bark and/or post-ts). what i'm trying to say is that this fic and its accompanying work is like every zolu fics' final boss
• the dawn that rises bloody (part 2 of 2)
  • word count : 38.8k (out of 53.4k)
  • tags : #post-timeskip #canon compliant #angst #(emotional) hurt/comfort #introspection #miscommunication #pining #getting together
  • rating : ★★★★★
  • notes : takes a deep breath. where do i even begin? firstly, gorgeous writing (as with the first work of this series). i know zoro povs are quite common for zolu fics, but for good reason: his perspective is what makes the ship so appealing (imo). he has everyone beat in a yearning competition and it's not even close. this series finished before wci completed i believe, so the author didn't even touch on wano, but i can only imagine what they could've written if this wasn't the case. but anyway, really love part 2 especially, naturally because we get a lot more content to work with and thus more insight into zoro's mind that's always running a mile a minute whenever it comes to luffy